Accept Me
by heartpiratesanji
Summary: Sanji is a man living in denial. After he dumps his girlfriend and leaves home, he runs into a mysterious man who may be able to accept him for who he truly is. Modern AU. Zoro x Sanji. My first story, so please be kind! Warnings: This will be a very long story with lots of chapters, this will have sex. If you're uncomfortable, please don't read it! (Rated M for later chapters)
1. Wet Flannels

It was a dreary, wet day on the streets of Seattle. Not that Sanji minded the weather usually, it was always like this. But today, particularly, he was in no mood for it. He forgot his umbrella, and didn't notice until he was stepping off of the bus when the sky had decided to open up upon him.

_'Why am I even here,'_ he thought bleakly to himself. He knew why. He just dumped his girlfriend of five years, finding out that she was cheating on him with some hot shot casino owner twice her age. The guy was a total tool with some sort of grand scheme of how he'll own the entire world someday. What the fuck ever. He didn't even speak to her before he left. He grabbed what he could carry and left. For where, he wasn't exactly sure. He just wished he'd remembered to bring his umbrella.

Sanji was actually sort of grateful for an excuse to leave her. No matter how much he tried to convince himself, something never felt quite right inside.

Now, don't get him wrong, he loved the ladies. He'd do anything in his power to make them happy and bend over backwards for them. He lived to please. But, whenever it came time for intimacy (if they weren't scared away by his over exuberance), he always felt something in the back of his mind itching. He'd ignore it, but it would keep itching. He couldn't satisfy that itch no matter which woman he chose...

A car flew by and splashed dirty puddle water all over him, jostling him from his thoughts. Fucking brilliant.

He spit the now-soggy cigarette out and looked upwards into the sky. '_Why the fuck... What did I ever do to deserve that?_' He shrugged as onlookers offered him a sympathetic glance, but nothing else. '_Fucking city people_,' Sanji thought. He missed his small hometown, the people there would have at least offered to help. But no. The city was different. He scowled and continued his journey.

He trudged through the street, looking like a wet cat that had just been thrown out of a moving train. Blonde strands clinged to his face, his flannels were clinging tightly to his body, and his jeans were so saturated with water that the weight alone almost pulled them down.

'_My stuff should be dry, at least,_' he thought optimistically, glancing to the two large luggage cases he had with him. He glanced up at the street sign that he had been looking for: "BLUE AVE". He sighed with relief, and began looking for the hotel that he had booked for himself.

'_Just until I can find a place_,' he thought as he squelched his way to his destination. It was a very nice hotel; he wanted to at least stay in comfort as he looked for a new place to call home. He made his way to the front desk, the concierge looking up at him and smiling.

"My sir, you look like the storm got the better of you!" the cheerful tall man piped. Sanji looked up. An afro? Well, this was Seattle, anything goes here, even in fancy hotels. "If I went out there, I'd be blown away like a sack of bones! Yohohoho!" His name tag read: "Brook".

"I'm here to check in," Sanji replied calmly. He didn't want to take out his current frustration on the desk clerk. He wasn't that kind of asshole. "Sanji Black." He set his bags down at his feet and took off his outer flannel, revealing a very wet, white shirt underneath. The shirt clung to his very toned body, showing off every carefully trained muscle. There was still some dirt on him from the puddle incident, making him look ruggedly sexy. He flipped his hair off to the right, and threw the wet piece of fabric over his shoulder. He leaned against the counter as Brook got his key for him and entered the check-in on his computer.

Sanji's arrival did not go unnoticed.

Sanji felt holes being burned into the back of his head. He glanced behind him. There was a hulk of a man sitting in one of the lobby chairs. He was wearing a gray suit with a white, striped dress shirt, square glasses, and looking up from a newspaper that he had been presumably reading.

But that wasn't what Sanji noticed first. This man had moss-green hair. '_What._' Sanji scowled. The mystery man ignored him and continued to stare. Sanji turned back around and gratefully took the key that was being handed to him. His room was on the top floor. '_Nice_' he thought, '_I'll have a nice view of the ocean from here_'. He loved the ocean. It reminded him of home.

Lost in his thoughts, Sanji turned and abruptly smacked into something. Hard. He fell on his ass, and glowered up at what ever had the nerve to stand in his way. It was moss man.

"Shit, I'm sorry!" the man said as he extended his hand. His voice was smooth and deep, like rolling thunder. "Here, let me help you up. I'm so sorry."

"I'm not made of tissue paper, you know," Sanji hissed. This guy. What was he even doing there? How did he not see or hear him approach? The guy walked with the grace and silence of a wild tiger. '_Stop thinking like that, pervert, the guy just knocked you on your ass!_' his mind screamed angrily at him.

"Never said you were", the man replied snarkily, "Just trying to be decent, since you look like you've had a rough day." The man stood straight, retracting his hand and shrugging.

Sanji's face flushed. Now that the man was up close, he could take in all of what stood before him. Moss green hair, caramel colored skin, a strong jaw, molten amber eyes... '_Damn..._' He lost all of his words.

"I didn't give you a concussion, did I?" The man smirked and crossed his arms as he looked down upon a very dumbstruck blonde. The man's thick arms were straining the fabric that contained them. Sanji shook his head.

"I'm fine. Just a shitty day. And I'm cold." The man looked down at him with those amber eyes. Sanji saw something flicker behind them, but he couldn't quite catch what it was.

"Of course you're cold with wet clothes like that. Come on, I'll help you carry those bags to your room." The man lifted the two bags as if they weighed nothing.

"Oi, I can get it. Besides, I'm on the top floor." Sanji stood up and dusted himself off.

"So am I. And?" The man tilted his head and gave him a look that Sanji thought only puppies could perfect. Was there a hint of playfulness in those eyes?

"Fine," Sanji gave in. Genuine acts of kindness by strangers were rare, so he might as well. If the guy tries anything funny, Sanji could easily kick his ass. "Room 34."

"What a coincidence, I'm in 33."

"Well that works out just fine then. I'm Sanji, by the way."

"I'm Zoro. Nice to have met you, Sanji."

As they made their way to the elevator, Sanji felt wandering eyes on him. He know he looked good wet, but he smelled like the streets, and he just wanted a nice, hot shower and some clean clothes. He glanced up at Zoro, who was eyeing him over.

"What?" Sanji instinctively asked. He wasn't in the mood for any rude comments on his appearance. He scowled at the man carrying his bags.

"How do you get your eyebrows to do that?" The man replied with a mocking tone.

That did it.

Sanji lifted his leg up and shoved a foot into the man's torso, throwing him into the back of the elevator, his hands never leaving his pockets. Thankfully his feet were dried by the carpet, otherwise he would have felt guilty about messing up such a nice suit. "What did you say, moss head?"

The look on the mans face was not something Sanji would expect. Normally when he snapped people become flustered, scared, apologized, or ran away screaming. But no, he was different. He just looked back at him with one of the most defiant looks Sanji has ever seen someone give him, besides his father and all of the chefs back at his father's restaurant.

"Moss head. Haven't heard that one. Mostly because anyone's afraid to taunt me like that," the man scowled. "It was a simple question. Get your damn foot off of me," he snapped back.

Sanji sighed, and put his foot down. "Sorry," he grumbled. "Why are people afraid of you? You're not so scary."

"I'm one of the top kendo fighters in the world. I'm surprised you haven't heard of me. Zoro Roronoa? The only man to fight with santoryu?" The man raised an eyebrow at him, as if he should know this stuff like it was sacred.

"Oh. I have. You're still not that scary." Sanji smirked.

"Is that so?" The swordsman laughed. His laugh was boisterous and charming. "Then you're either really stupid or really brave!"

"Brave. My kitchen knives have given me worse cuts than you ever could," Sanji snapped.

This stopped the laughing ball of moss in his tracks. "Oh? Is that a challenge? I've noticed your physique, you obviously do athletics or training of some sort with a body like that. What is it that you do?"

At the mention of the man noticing his body Sanji's face flushed. Why was he blushing? He hoped the man didn't notice. "Savate, the fighting style of my country." As he said this, his accent came through a little, and the swordsman definitely noticed.

"I know that style of fighting, it's unique. That accent... Are you French?"

"Oui. Je suis français." Sanji liked showing off his language to Americans once and a while.

"Ah," Zoro nodded. "Watashi wa Nihon kara kita."

"What." This guy wasn't American. Sanji knew that was Japanese. But he didn't know if he had just been insulted or proposed to. He only knew a few select words with his dealings in seafood. He trained under a famous sushi chef one summer at the insistence of his father. After all, the Japanese knew their way around a fish. He learned a lot that summer.

Zoro chuckled, "I came from Japan. Pretty common around here, considering there's just an ocean between me and my country. But you, France is a far ways away from here." He tilted his head as the elevator dinged. He picked up the bags once again.

"I have my reasons." And with that, they reached Sanji's floor. He stepped out of the elevator and read the room numbers until he came to his. With relief, he opened the door and stepped in. It was a lovely room with a breathtaking view of the skyline and the sea. He turned to Zoro.

"Uh, thanks for carrying my stuff. You didn't have to." He picked up the bags and made his way to the living area in the suite.

"I wanted to. I could see you were having a shit day. Maybe, uh..." He scratched the back of his green hair with his hand, shifting his glasses a little. "Want to go grab a drink later? I'm interested in learning more about that fighting style of yours. I like learning about those kind of things." Sanji detected a hint of rosiness from the caramel colored skin. Did this guy just ask him out? And he was... Blushing?

"Uh, sure." Why the hell not. Sanji liked drinking. He could use one after the day he just had.

The man looked up at him with a stoic smile, but Sanji could see the twinkle in his eyes. "Great! So uh, meet in the lobby around 7?" The man looked at his watch.

"Seems alright to me. You know any good bars or should I pick?" Sanji asked, already kicking his shoes off and tossing the contents of his wet pants onto the counter in the kitchen area.

"You can pick. Beer is beer." Zoro shrugged.

"Great. See you at 7." And with that, they gave a short wave and Sanji shut the door.

* * *

'_What am I DOING? I'm going to a bar with a guy that literally knocked me on my ass a few minutes ago? I don't even know him. I know who he is, but..._' Sanji gave a frustrated huff and peeled his wet and dirty clothes off. He hung them by the heater, and took a much needed shower.

It was 5 o'clock now. He dried himself off, and opened his suitcase that had his clothes. Thankfully, he didn't have too much to bring. He had taken to living a simpler lifestyle than his one back home: a new suit every day, ties, dress shoes, cufflinks. He didn't bring any of those with him.

He grabbed a heather gray v-neck and a pair of old Levi's. This would do. Comfy but good looking. '_Why do I care if I look good?_' he thought. He picked up a pair of worn out Converse and a pair of dry socks. He also made sure to pick out his comfiest boxers. He took his black leather jacket out and put it on the coat hanger near the door. There, outfit complete.

He got dressed and wandered into the suite kitchen. Not bad, for a hotel. He'd have to go grocery shopping tomorrow. He went and flopped onto the bed. He didn't feel like cooking tonight, he'd find something later.

He glanced at the clock and was shocked to find that it was 6:30. He should probably think about going soon. Humph. But the bed felt so nice. He sat up and smoothed out his shirt. He got up and looked in the mirror on the vanity in the room.

He looked good, he'd have to admit. A little scruffier than usual, since he hadn't shaved for a few days, but his hair was perfectly tousled, his shirt was fitted to show a suggestion of muscle but not obnoxiously. His jeans showed off the lean and powerful legs he worked so hard to get, while hanging a little low on his hips, the way he liked to wear them. The elastic band of his boxers peeped through a little on the top, but it looked good. Satisfied with his appearance, he grabbed his keys, shoved his wallet in his pants, and slid into his leather jacket as he headed out for a night of god knows what.

* * *

**Well there you have it, guys. My first fanfic chapter! I have to admit, I was super nervous about starting one, but before I knew it I had 18 pages written. This will be updated regularly, and prompts are always welcome! ^^ Thank you so much for reading this. It means the world to me! ~heartpiratesanji**


	2. Fight Me

What had he gotten himself into now. He didn't know this guy. He didn't know his story. Hell, he didn't even know why the guy accepted his invitation to go out for drinks. He didn't know why he invited him to go out for drinks.

Zoro slammed his head into his pillow. Yes he did. He knew why. He didn't want to admit it. He had the hots for some French guy that almost kicked his ass in an elevator. How does he get himself in these situations?

But when that blonde walked in with that shirt clinging to him... Zoro bit his lip. It wasn't fair. He knew there was no way that someone like that would ever consider someone like him. So what did he do? Walk up behind him to ask if he wanted help carrying his bags. What happened instead? He guy turned around into him and fell on his ass. His perfect ass. Zoro sighed.

He could just tell that guy was having a bad day, and he genuinely wasn't trying to take advantage of that. He just wants to show some humanity. He knew it was hard to find in the city sometimes. Sure, the offer for drinks was a little self fulfilling, but the guy looked like he needed a beer. He even let Sanji pick the place.

Thinking about the blonde gave him an unwanted warmth in his nether regions. He let out a hiss and decided to take a good, cold shower and forget about the situation for a second. He had two hours. That's enough time to calm down.

After the shower, Zoro felt considerably better. He strode over to his bed and looked over his outfit with satisfaction. A dark green hoodie, worn out jeans, and his Doc Martens. Simple and comfy, the way he liked it. He put on his outfit and looked at himself in the mirror. The hoodie fit him well, showing his physique but still leaving some to the imagination. The jeans clung to his muscular legs, and the boots gave him a little edginess. Bingo.

He looked at his watch and saw that it was 6:30, so he should head out, since the hotel hallways always gave him a hard time. He could never tell which direction he was facing or what floor he was on. He went to the door, grabbing his keys and wallet, and set out for his night with the blonde savate fighter.

* * *

Again, something hard smacked Sanji in the face and he fell on his ass. That felt familiar.

"Dammit Zoro."

The man's figure towered over him as he sat on the floor, rubbing his lower back. There was an expression on the guy's face that Sanji couldn't quite read... Concern? It vanished quickly and was replaced with a smirk.

"Watch where you're going. You seem to be pretty accident prone for a fighter", he said to the blonde. "You sure you could take me in a fight?"

"Wanna try me?" Sanji spat as he got up. This guy was a real cocky asshole. "Go ahead, spar with me sometime and we'll see who's the real fighter."

The smirk faded and was replaced with a scowl. By looking at the lines on the man's face, Sanji could tell that was an expression he made often. "You're on. Where and when." It came out as more of a statement than a question.

Sanji's blood was boiling. It's been a while since he had a good sparring partner. If this guy is as good as he says he is, the. It might be worth his while. "Why not now? I'm a member at the gym down on the next street. They have a sparring area. Loser buys the drinks."

"Deal!" Zoro barked. "I'll bring my wooden swords, since I don't want to wipe you _off_ the gym floor, just wipe it _with_ you," he taunted.

Sanji went back into his room to grab gym clothes. Zoro disappeared into his room and came out with a duffel bag and three long rods. Three? Oh that's right. This freak fights with three swords. But how...

"We going?" Zoro asked expectantly. "Lead the way, curly."

"_What did you just call me?_" Sanji hissed and proceeded to get up into the swordsman's face.

Up close, Sanji could smell iron and cologne on Zoro. It was actually kind of sexy. Zoro grabbed the collar of Sanji's jacket.

"_CURLY_" Zoro taunted with a baritone voice that made Sanji shiver. Why did he like that voice so much? Maybe he was too used to being around women.

Sanji shoved Zoro back. "Damn marimo," he grumbled and turned his head away so Zoro couldn't see his cheeks flushing.

"Marimo?" Zoro scowled harder, if that were possible. "You just call me a marimo?"

"I learned about them when I trained when a Japanese chef for a summer. Stupid little moss balls, right? Yeah, that's you." Sanji was asking for it. He almost wanted that man to grab him again.

But Zoro didn't. Sanji looked up at the man who was trying not to laugh. That look was apparently infectious, because Sanji could feel laughter bubbling up inside him. The two men must have looked insane because they went from a collision, to threats, to laughing like they had known each other for years. Sanji liked this guy. He might even stay in contact with him after he finds a new place.

"Let's go, I want to kick your ass and enjoy the free beer that comes with it," Zoro teased.

* * *

When he had grabbed Sanji's coat, he got a good whiff. Cologne, no, expensive cologne, cigarettes, and lavender. Zoro could breathe that in all day. Not to mention this blonde looked good, really good. And the air about him made it seem like he was confident in how good he looked. Zoro liked confident men. Then this guy went and called him a marimo. For some reason that term didn't bother him, he thought it was hilarious. It was almost cute how Sanji called him a marimo. And he trained with a Japanese chef for a summer? Must be a cook. This guy was damn interesting.

He was elated at the fact that he was going to spar with this guy that he only met a few hours ago. This should be good. They made their way down the hall, Zoro only getting turned around once, much to Sanji's confusion. "It's a straight hallway, where the hell are you going, directionless moss?"

They made it to the lobby, and were greeted by Brook the desk clerk. "Yohoho! You two know each other?" Brook asked. "Nope. Just met. Figured that's as good a reason as any to get drinks. See you around, Brook," Zoro replied. He really hoped that didn't sound weird.

It didn't, at least not to Sanji. He couldn't really find any other reason why he accepted the guy's offer, he tried to rationalize it but couldn't. He was almost drawn to this guy? No. That can't be it. He glanced at the man beside him. Sanji bit his lip. That hoodie did wonders on that moss ball. '_WHAT AM I THINKING. I haven't even thought about a guy that way since-_'

His thoughts were stopped short as Zoro tugged on his shoulder. "Come on, gyms aren't open forever, right?" He was right. They should get going.

"You two have fun! I will be here when you get back, most likely, I move about as much as a dead man, yohohoho!" And with that, the two men left for the gym.

* * *

After getting to the gym, the headed for the locker room so that they could change into their gym clothes. This was the part that Zoro was afraid of. Being half naked near an attractive guy who was more than likely not interested in anything other than a sparring session.

Sanji tossed his bag into his locker and rummaged through it to pull out a pair of black sweats and a baby blue workout shirt. He proceeded to strip off his clothes, revealing fair skin pulled taut over a lithe body. His back was facing Zoro, who stared in awe as the muscles in Sanji's back rippled while me moved. He had a beautiful back.

'_No. No Zoro, that's bad. Don't look at him. He's probably straight. Don't do anything that you'll regret_' he thought to himself. He proceeded to dig through his own bag. Pulling out black sweat pants, a navy colored tank top, and his favorite black bandana.

Sanji noticed the man's eyes on his back when he was getting changed. He didn't mind it, though. It felt nice to have someone stare at him like that again. His girlfriend- er, ex-girlfriend now, hadn't looked at him like that in years, probably since the cheating started. With a sigh he kept changing, starting to pull off his jeans and revealing his powerful legs.

Zoro felt his throat go dry. It was going to be hard to concentrate when he'll have those legs kicking at him. Those boxers did wonders for him, the baby blue cotton complimenting his fair skin. He thought he caught a glimpse of something on Sanji's legs, but not before Zoro felt tingling in his pants.

'_NO_' he screamed in his head. He turned around quickly and took his own shirt off, revealing his larger, more muscular body.

Sanji stole a glance. He was glad he did. That man looked even better under his shirt. The muscles rippled throughout his body like a tiger ready to pounce. Sanji wanted to be pounced on.

'_What am I thinking? I'm not ready for that sort of thing yet! ...but you gotta admit, this guy is smoking hot. It'll be hard to land my kicks in the right spots... And did he see my legs? I shouldn't be so careless..._' Sanji's thoughts were interrupted by a tingling in his core. Butterflies? He never got nervous before a fight. How odd.

The swordsman turned back around with only his sweatpants on, hanging low on his hips. Sanji found it hard to put his own shirt on. The guy's front was nice, but there was something worth noting: an enormous scar, running from Zoro's left shoulder to his right hip. It must have been an awful wound when it happened. It made Sanji pause, but not without Zoro taking notice of the eyes on his body.

"I got it in a fight," as if to answer the unasked question looming on Sanji's mind. "Total accident. I'm lucky I survived. If it were a little deeper, I'd be dead. I'm trying to become the best out there, so stuff like this happens."

"Huh." Sanji stepped closer to Zoro, taking him by surprise. Zoro stood frozen, shirt in his hands, with a quizzical look on his face as Sanji approached. When they were only a foot away from each other, Sanji examined the scar more closely, causing Zoro to hold his breath.

It was rough, the skin a shade lighter than the lovely caramel color of the rest of his body. The holes where the stitches held the skin together we're still faintly visible. There were other scars, too, now that he was up close. But this one was the main event. Sanji reached a hand out to trail a finger across it. He'd always liked scars. They told stories. They were also sexy as hell.

At the cold, delicate finger touching his chest, Zoro jumped. Was this guy really touching him? Oh no. "What are you doing?" he asked in a strained voice, trying not to let the blonde know how much he actually enjoyed the gesture.

Sanji froze. What _was_ he doing? He just randomly reached out and touched a half naked stranger. He pulled his hand back and his face flushed bright pink. "Sorry," he mumbled as he turned his head away to hide his blushing. "I think scars are cool. They tell a lot about a person. Like that you don't have any on your back. You don't run away."

This caught Zoro off guard. That was deep. Sanji noticed something so small like that. But he was right, though. "That's right. It's shameful to run away. I face my enemies head on," he said, trying to hide the astonishment in his voice. "But what about you? I see no scars anywhere."

Sanji turned. "Mine are deeper than that. We'll leave it at that."

Zoro caught something in the blonde's eye. A deep sadness. Zoro regretted saying anything. "Hey... Let's go. Enough of this heavy stuff, I'm just here to spar," he said throwing in a cocky grin.

Sanji was thankful for the change in subject. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad after all. Maybe a little sparring would take his mind off of things that were bubbling up that he just didn't have the energy to deal with right now. He wanted to focus solely on this man in front of him; fighting him, and maybe learning a little more about this mysterious stranger.

* * *

**Thanks for sticking around! I hope you stay longer! ^^ Things are going to be slow for a little while, gotta build up that romance, you know? But I won't be too much of a tease. Again, prompts are always welcome! *hugs* ~heartpiratesanji**


	3. I Can Explain

Damnit. He was ready for anything. He couldn't land a single hit. But neither could Zoro. This was a match made in heaven. He never found anyone on equal standing grounds as him, not even his own teacher, and let alone someone with a different fighting technique. He finally saw where the third sword went: his mouth. As unusual as it was, the man used it as if he were born with it there already.

Sanji was intrigued. And the guy didn't realize how good he looked. With his arms exposed, those muscles glistening with sweat, the bandana holding his hair back for full concentration, the passionate fire that burned within his eyes. Sanji felt something deep inside him that he had not felt in a very, very long time. He had a crush on this unusual stranger. He's glad the intense workout made his face flushed, otherwise he might be blushing at the thought.

Zoro couldn't believe his eyes. Any time he'd be close to a hit, Sanji would duck, jump, sway, do a handspring... it was unreal. Just who was this guy? No one had ever been able to match him, no one was on equal footing with him. This guy was different. It didn't help that he was also drop dead sexy when he fought. His flexibility, the grunts he'd make with each kick, the sweat dripping off of his sharp jawline... The focus in his eyes. Zoro wanted him. He was smitten.

After almost an hour, the two called a tie, faces red and bodies aching. Neither of them had pushed themselves that hard in a very long time. There had been no need up until now.

"I'll buy the drinks, just because no one's ever held their ground with me before," Sanji panted. "I'm impressed, swordsman."

Zoro nodded. He didn't have much money on him, so he was thankful for the offer. He'd make it up to the man later, somehow.

"I'll make it up to you sometime, since I really appreciated the challenge. You put up a better fight than I expected,," Zoro heaved as he looked up to meet the gaze of Sanji. Those blue eyes were remarkable. With the blonde's flushed face, it seemed to make them even bluer. He was finally catching his breath when Sanji took it away from him again, with a few simple words.

"I don't want to sound weird, but..." Sanji paused, was he really going to say this? "I admire the passion that shows when you fight. We should do this again sometime, if you want..." Line cast, now to wait for the bite.

"I'd love to." Sanji caught his prize winning fish, or marimo, rather.

"Really? I mean, cool," Sanji smiled a small smile and turned away. '_This is so fucking awesome!_' Sanji screamed in his head. Maybe he was ready to move on, after all. He just met the guy, but he had plenty of time to get to know him.

Zoro's heart skipped a beat. Did he just hear excitement at the promise of meeting again in the blonde's voice? He definitely wanted to see this man more. He was one of a kind.

"We should probably shower. We smell nasty." Sanji interrupted Zoro's thoughts, only to replace them with lewd and not necessarily unwanted ones. This blonde wanted to shower with him...

"Yeah. Shower. Mhm." Zoro grunted trying to hide his excitement.

* * *

As they both stripped and discarded their smelly clothes into their gym bags, Zoro couldn't help but be slightly nervous. He really hoped that his body didn't betray him and give him away. He packed his workout gear and leaned his wooden swords against the locker.

Sanji hopped into the community shower first, grabbing the shampoo and body wash he always kept in his bag. He like to feel clean and fresh at all times, so he made it a habit to pack them. He lathered up some lavender-scented shampoo in his blonde hair, the foam trickling it's way down his body.

He felt a hand touch him and he nearly fell backwards for the third time that day, he whipped around only to find Zoro, who had a very odd expression on his face. '_Oh my god. We're both standing naked in a shower together. And he just touched me._'

"Why are you touching me?"

"Mind if I use your stuff? I didn't bring any, so..." Zoro hated disturbing the blonde. He looked so good with the suds on him, and that perfect ass he could admire for days facing him, and he blonde was humming some sort of lively tune that Zoro found endearing. He regretting reaching out to touch him, especially with the scowl that greeted his action.

"Uh, sure. Actually," Sanji paused, holding his hands out to Zoro. "I have too much shampoo in my hands, must've squeezed too hard." Zoro felt his eye twitch at the words 'squeeze' and 'hard'. But he felt his whole body freeze as Sanji proceeded to reach up to his head and start washing his hair for him. Well. This was odd. But not unpleasant.

"Oh, um. Thanks?" Zoro didn't know what else to say. And his body wouldn't move. The man's fingers were surprisingly strong and nimble; those of a chef. He shuddered at the thought of what else those hands could do to him.

"Not a problem," he cook replied. Sanji didn't know why he was washing this man's hair. He definitely had extra shampoo, so why waste it. He hated wasting things. This guys hair was softer than it looked. And while it was wet, it really did look like moss. He felt the other man shudder. "Something wrong?"

"You're washing my hair for me," Zoro replied. He didn't want him to stop, though. It felt nice.

"Yeah, I am. Got a problem with it?" Sanji was testing the waters. "Don't make it weird, man."

"Not at all." Zoro grinned at Sanji with a large, boyish smile. That smile could melt the hearts of even the coldest person. Sanji's breath hitched a little in his throat. That smile was so fucking charming that he couldn't contain himself much longer.

Zoro reached for the body wash and pouf, and started to scrub himself down in front of his new sparring partner.

'_What. The. Actual. Fuck._' Sanji thought. This man's beautifully tan skin was covered in pale bubbles, and it was making his head spin. He felt his body begin to betray him. Oh who cares. He likes the guy, and hopes to have him stick around, but if he scares him off with a phantom boner it's not like it's the end of the world. But Sanji really hoped that wouldn't be the case.

Zoro, while scrubbing away at his chest as his hair was being washed, noticed something coming to life between his own legs. '_Oh, fuck._' He had finally gotten a partner worth having on the sparring mat and he was about to scare him off with his gay antics. He really hoped Sanji didn't notice. How would he explain that? It's not like he was small down there, either. Sanji would definitely notice. '_Shit!_' Zoro thought in a panic.

At the same exact time, both men realized what was actually going on. Both looked down at the same time, and then up at each other in disbelief. "I can explain," they said in unison.

* * *

**Oh boy. How awkward... This was just a quick little chapter, more to come! ~heartpiratesanji  
**


	4. Warm Sake

"Wait, what?" They both said in unison noticing the other man's hard-on as well as their own. They stared at each other for an intense ten seconds. The automatic shower turned itself off. All was silent apart from a few drips from the wet bodies on the tiles.

"I, um..." Sanji's face was beet red now. He saw a look on Zoro's face but it was not a look he expected. Disgust, anger, hatred even. But no. All he saw was an expression that he had not seen before. "I should go." A hand gripped his wrist as he turned to leave, but he didn't try to pull away.

"No. Stay," Zoro implored. He saw the same look in Sanji's eye that he felt within himself. Fear of rejection because of who he is. Zoro knew that all too well. "I know what you're feeling right now. I feel it too. And I promise, I'm not going anywhere." Warm amber eyes met with icy blue.

"Y-you do?" Sanji had never felt so relieved in his life, despite the awkward situation. This man wouldn't ditch him because of this. He hardly knew the guy, but this, this was big. He had lost many friends because of 'his choices' as they put it. But it wasn't a choice, it's who he is. He tried to convince himself for so long that he could change, and others telling him he had to. But this man, this man was telling him he didn't have to change, and that he wanted him to stay. Sanji's eyes welled up with hot tears.

"O-Oi. Don't cry. Please," Zoro begged. He didn't want to see those beautiful eyes with tears in them. He could see the pain across Sanji's face that told him everything he needed to know. "I know what it's like. You don't have to cry."

"I'm not crying, damn marimo," Sanji replied as his voice cracked. "I've had to go years hiding who I am. I've lost friends. I've been turned away by family. And now you, a total stranger, accepts me for who I am? I just can't believe what I'm hearing!" He sniffed through a smile. A sad smile, but a smile nonetheless and Zoro would take it. "Maybe there is hope for me, after all."

Hearing this made Zoro frown. Why would anyone be so cruel to this man? He seemed like a genuine enough person. He was good looking, obviously a talented fighter, and apparently a cook? What's there not to like?

"My old man was the only one who accepted me for who I am, back in France. Shit, I miss him." That did it. The tears started flowing. Zoro hated seeing anyone cry, let alone this man whom he had just formed this unusual bond with. He pulled the blonde closer to him by the wrist he was still holding, and hugged him. Sure, they were naked, sure, this man was all but a stranger to him, but this man was hurt, and crying, and Zoro wanted nothing more than to just embrace him, so he did.

Sanji felt warmth as he was pulled into a bear hug by the stranger named Zoro. He knew he shouldn't have liked it as much as he did, but it was so warm and comforting. The hug was surprisingly soft and tender for the hulking man that was giving it to him. Sanji then realized his arms were hanging stiff by his sides. He willed them to move, and wrapped them around the waist of the perfect stranger. Body wracking sobs shook through him, but they were not sobs of pain; they were sobs of joy.

Zoro knew. He could tell. He smiled as he felt the cook's smile against his shoulder as the sobs tore their way through him. He felt arms wrap around him and couldn't help but smile bigger. He soothingly rubbed Sanji's back, and pulled away slightly to look him in the eye. He saw tears, yes, but he also saw a goofy, face splitting smile plastered across Sanji's face. He leaned in, hoping that he wasn't breaking too many boundaries for the day, and planted a kiss on his left cheek, stopping a tear in its tracks.

At that, Sanji's eyes opened wide. This man had just kissed him. But not in a creepy, pervy, taking-advantage-of-you-while-you're-down kind of way. No, it was a sweet, gentle gesture. He kissed a tear away. Who knew that this man, who knocked him over twice, gets lost in hallways, and is a deadly opponent in a sparring ring, was such the gentle giant?

"Well, we should finish up here, we're going to catch a cold, and I could really use a drink, how about you?" Zoro smirked, releasing Sanji. He turned the hot water back on and rinsed himself off completely, and Sanji followed suit. '_This guy is something else. He accepts me for who I am, doesn't take advantage of me, and he's worried about me catching a cold._' Sanji smiled.

With both men satisfactorily rinsed off, they headed back to the lockers and put their clothes back on. Zoro checks his watch. "It's 8:15, plenty of time to grab a drink."

Sanji smiled. "Well, I'm not really into the idea of a bar right now, so how about we just grab a six pack and head back to the hotel? My treat."

Zoro shrugged. "Hey, beer is beer. And the less obnoxious drunks, the better, right?" He smirked and threw on his hoodie.

"Ha, right. I don't feel like starting any bar fights, you took all the energy I had." Sanji smirked.

* * *

Thankfully the rain had stopped as the two men made their way out of the gym, which was now closing, and within its walls all of the events that just occurred would stay between them.

They walked to the liquor store across the way from the hotel, bought a six pack of Guinness and Sanji saw Zoro eye up a bottle of sake, so he snuck that into the basket too. Zoro didn't seem to notice, he was yawning loudly and getting a good stretch. Sanji quickly checked out and held the bag so Zoro couldn't see what was inside.

They made it back to the hotel and greeted Brook, who was, of course, will there and singing some little diddy to himself. "Your room, or mine?" Sanji asked his newfound friend.

"How about mine? I have some food in my room that'll go great with beer," Zoro replied with a smile. Sanji couldn't argue, he just realized how hungry he was.

"Sounds good, I'm starving after a workout like that."

They made their way to the room, not without Zoro almost getting lost in a hallway again. He flipped out the hotel key card and unlocked his door, leading Sanji in. It was the same type of suite as Sanji's, but this one had been lived in longer. There was food in the kitchen, clothes in the closet, various items strewn across the room. "How long have you been here?" Sanji asked as he kicked the door shut behind him.

"A week and some days. Trying to find a permanent place to stay," Zoro replied, a tinge of pain behind his voice.

"No way, that's why I'm staying here too. I'm looking for a new home as well," Sanji incredulously replied.

"Really? What has a guy like you living in a hotel with two bags of luggage?" Zoro asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"I dumped my cheating ex girlfriend. I moved out, left her with the apartment. It's okay though. I didn't have much stuff to begin with, so it's easy."

"That really sucks, I'm sorry."

"What about you, if you don't mind me asking?" Sanji cautiously approached the subject.

Zoro let out a large sigh. "Basically the same reason as you, except I was dumped for another guy. But, my boyfriend kicked me out without warning, introduced me to this new boy toy of his, and threw me into the streets. I thought we had something special, but I guess not." The dejection and sense of betrayal was evident in his voice. Zoro sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands. "I only ever seem to be a trophy for people to show off until they tire of me, and then they toss me. That's how it's always been."

"Oh, I had no idea." Sanji felt strangely angry at this person he didn't know for treating Zoro that way. He sat down on the bed next to Zoro, pulling the bottle of sake out and holding it in front of him. Zoro lifted his head, a childish smile playing across his features as if someone put a puppy in front of him. "Cheer up. I'm not getting tired of you."

"How did you-" Zoro choked up.

"I saw you eyeing it up in the store. It's imported from Japan. I figured, since you've been nothing but nice to me..." Sanji trailed off.

Zoro leaned in and hugged Sanji. "You're a good person, curly."

"Oi, don't call me that, marimo," Sanji jokingly shoved him. "Come on, I'll warm this up. Sake should be drank warm." He got up and made for the kitchen.

Zoro couldn't believe what a gem he found in Sanji. The guy even knew how to properly serve sake. He picked up a bottle on a whim just because he saw Zoro oggle at it. His thoughts were interrupted as a glass of warm sake was offered to him. He took a sip. Tasted just like home.

"Thank you."

"It's the least I could do," Sanji said as he took the spot beside Zoro on the bed once again, munching on a bag of rice crackers.

"No, really, thank you for everything," Zoro blushed and turned away. "It means a lot. No one ever treats me like this."

"Well everyone deserves a chance, right? You accepted me, and I accept you. That's how it works, right?" Sanji gave a hearty pat on Zoro's back. "We should stick together, you know?"

"Yeah, why not. We seem to have a lot in common, don't we?"

"Sure. So, what do you do for a living? You can't be a pro kendo fighter, can you?"

"Ha, you can, but actually I'm a kendo instructor. I teach the kids down at the dojo on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Today, I was in a suit because I had a lunch meeting with an important sensei, who will do a guest lesson next week. It's a great gig. I love the kids." Zoro flushed a little at the admission of loving kids, but he felt that he could open up to Sanji. "What about you?"

"I'm the owner and head chef at All Blue, it's on the other side of town, near the sea. It's a seafood place. I tried to make it similar to my old man's place, Baratie, back home in the Mediterranean. But this place sure isn't like home, haha not as sunny!" Sanji laughed. "But anyways, that's real cool about you being an instructor and working with kids, I guess you really are a gentle giant."

"Oi what's that supposed to mean!" Zoro gave a joking scowl.

"Haha nothing, oh your glass is empty, I'll get it. Chef habits, you know." Sanji got up and refilled their glasses. Zoro looked after him, wondering how he got so lucky to have a friend like this. And he cooks? Zoro wondered what the food tasted like. No doubt amazing. All Blue was the highest rated restaurant in the city. Too expensive for Zoro, but maybe he'll go there sometime, just to see the chef.

"Thanks," he absentmindedly mumbled as a glass was pressed into his hand. He took another sip. The warm liquid was heating up his insides. He looked over at Sanji, who had his eyes shut with a slight smile on his face, sipping the sake. He looked peaceful. His hand was close to Zoro's on the bed. '_Should I...? Yeah. I should._' He moved his hand towards Sanji's.

Sanji noticed the small movement out of the corner of his eye as he opened them to see Zoro reaching for his hand. He didn't stop him. He wanted to see what the kendo instructor would do one he had his hand.

Zoro grabbed it tenderly, and just held it, intertwining fingers with Sanji, who gladly accepted. "This is nice," Zoro sighed. Sanji agreed. No pressure, no tension, this _was_ nice.

"Mmm," Sanji hummed in agreement, taking another sip of sake. This stuff was good. He considered all of the different kinds of meals and dishes that he could pair with this. His thoughts were cut short by the weight next to him shifting on the bed.

Zoro didn't know why he felt so confident all of a sudden. Maybe it was just how at ease the cook put him. But, he went for it either way. He leaned in and planted another kiss on the cook's cheek. The cheek flushed red as if the kiss had burned Sanji. Zoro, finding this amusing, smirked and sat back.

Sanji felt the soft lips graze his cheek and it set off a fire within him. He felt his face grow hot, or rather hotter since the sake had already started working on his system. He turned to Zoro, who was smirking and had a playful glint in his amber eyes. He caught a whiff of his lavender shampoo and body wash on the swordsman. "The hell are you smiling at? Dumb moss ball..." Sanji know what he wanted, and he know what Zoro wanted. The question was, should he give in? The alcohol fuzzed up his brain.

"You, shit cook." They made eye contact, and stared each other down for an intense moment.

Sanji wanted to test the waters first. He leaned it slowly, tilted his head and planted a soft kiss on Zoro's warm lips, which eagerly parted, signaling that he wanted more. Sanji nibbled on his lower lip and opened his eyes only to find amber ones searing into him. They burned with desire, but with a hint of caution. Sanji released his lip lock on Zoro and brought his hand down to play with the three golden earrings on Zoro's left ear. The gold complimented his eyes.

Sanji pulled away and looked at Zoro, to see what effect he was having on the swordsman. The caramel colored skin was flushed, and Sanji could feel both their hearts pounding. He just met this guy today, who knew that he'd find something like this? This was moving a bit fast for his taste, but Sanji didn't care at the moment. He felt like even though he had a buzz from the sake, he knew exactly what he was doing, and that he didn't regret it.

Zoro was disappointed when the cook pulled away. But the disappointment quickly flamed into desire as he met those stormy blue eyes. When was the last time he felt like this? Ages, since he found out about another man replacing him. This felt so good, to be in someone else's arms again. He knew he wouldn't regret giving this guy a serious chance. He leaned in and nuzzled Sanji's hair. "We can take this slow if you want."

Sanji was taken aback by the statement. '_This? But what exactly is this?_' He stuck out his lower lip in thought. It was downright adorable.

Zoro noticed his thoughtful pout and added: "I'm assuming you want the same as me, right?"

"And what is it that you want, swordsman?" Sanji asked, wanting to see if his dreams were really coming true.

"I mean, I'm a single guy, you're a single guy..." Zoro mumbled, his face growing rosier by the second.

"Yes." Sanji cut Zoro off. "Yes." A stupid, happy grin spread across his face. "I thought I'd have to ask you myself, moss ball." Sanji blushed.

This was crazy. A man he just met hours ago set off fireworks in his heart. He couldn't help it. He had to make a move, even though he hardly knew this man. But there was something different about Sanji that Zoro couldn't help but beam at him and say "Who knew my day would turn out like this?"

"So, does this mean we're a... Thing?" Sanji motioned between the two of them. He really hoped so. Normally he didn't jump into relationships quickly, but the past few months he might as well have been single with how little he and his ex interacted. And this guy was a breath of fresh air. He could fight, he had an attitude, and he had a soft side. He even looked good naked. He was too perfect.

"If you wanna be," Zoro raised an eyebrow and turned away. "But I understand if you don't, I mean we only just met, and I know you don't know me very well yet."

"Well, I wanna be. I have all the time in the world to get to know you."

Zoro turned back to him and enveloped him in a bear hug. Time seemed to stand still. This was really happening. For all the rotten luck he's had, the golden opportunity came and swept him off his feet. Golden as the hair on his head, his new boyfriend, Sanji.

* * *

**Now how's that for a happy turn of events? Warms the heart! But don't worry, there's more in store for these two! Things are only just getting started! ~heartpiratesanji**


	5. Bananas Foster

Everything was hazy. What time was it? '_My mouth tastes like ass,_' Sanji thought as he rolled over. His hand grazed against soft hair. There was someone else in the bed. '_Wait a minute..._' He opened his eyes to see a shirtless moss head snoring quietly next to him. '_Oh god we didn't..._' Sanji sat up too fast, making his head spin.

Once the spinning stopped he remembered what happened. Nothing scandalous, thankfully. They finished the sake, drank the beers, and Sanji passed out. He was never good at holding his alcohol. But one thing stuck out most to him from last night. That sleeping man next to him was... His boyfriend.

Sanji flung the covers off and stood up, placing his feet on the cold hardwood floor. He felt so thirsty. He looked over at Zoro. His face was peaceful, not in the scowl that he usually wore. His eyebrow twitched in his sleep. '_Aw, so marimos do dream. About what though?_' Sanji planted a soft kiss on the man's forehead. He walked into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water.

He heard a stirring on the bed, and a sleepy Zoro looked at him blearily. "Mornin' cook," he sleepily mumbled after a yawn. A-fucking-dorable. "Feeling okay? You were wasted last night."

"I'm fine. Just dehydrated. Little headache. Not the worst I've had," Sanji walked back over to the bed and sat down next to his marimo. "You're adorable when you wake up."

That earned him a scowl and a pillow to the face. "Yeah? How adorable is me smothering you?" Zoro growled. He wasn't a morning person like Sanji.

"Calm down temperamental plant man, you should enjoy the sun, it gives you photosynthesis," Sanji retorted and landed a kick on Zoro's ribs.

Zoro wheezed at the kick. "Fuck you, sunshine," he glared at the cook. "Figures a cook like you would be a morning person." He rubbed his eyes and let out another yawn. '_So cute..._' Sanji thought and blushed. He smiled at Zoro.

"What are you smiling at, shit cook?" Zoro said in fake annoyance. He could never hate that smile, no matter how early it was for him. The sun was shining in the window onto Sanji's hair, making him seem to glow with radiance. He really was a ball of fucking sunshine.

"You, marimo."

"You're pretty adorable when you're drunk," Zoro blushed, trying to return the cook's statement from earlier about how he looked while he wakes up.

"Oh, I am?" Sanji chuckled. "I tend to do some pretty stupid shit when I'm drunk."

"I've noticed."

Sanji's stomach clenched. "Wait. Did I do something stupid last night?"

"Yeah." Zoro nodded very matter-of-factly.

"You gonna tell me or do I have to beat it out of you?" Sanji's voice became higher pitched.

"Come here." Zoro motioned with his index finger.

Sanji leaned in closer to Zoro, only to be snatched up by the big shirtless bear and brought into a hug. "You agreed to be with me. Turns out you're pretty stupid after all." He nuzzled his face into Sanji's hair.

"That's what's stupid?" Sanji spat in annoyance. "And here you had me worrying that I belly danced for you, or something."

"Well I didn't want to mention that..."

That earned Zoro a jab to the sides. Zoro released Sanji from the hug and laughed. "Oi I was kidding! Although it's never too late for that dance..." Another jab.

* * *

Sanji had taken a hiatus from work, some of the vacation days he had saved up. He trusted his sous chef to take care of the place while he got his life in order. Duvall wasn't a bad guy, just a bit goofy. But his intentions were good, and he put full effort into that restaurant at all times. It was in good hands. Even if the guy was a little narcissistic.

Sanji sighed as he rooted through Zoro's fridge and pulled out some ingredients. He was going to show this marimo just what a great chef his new boyfriend was. Sanji loved impressing people with the amazing food he could make with such few ingredients. And few there were. Zoro didn't know a thing about eating decently. No matter. Sanji would change that.

Bread, bananas, sugar, cinnamon, rum... Bananas foster it was, then. He'd make it into a nice hangover breakfast. The lovely smell of cooking filled the suite as Sanji toiled away making his masterpiece.

Zoro, who laid back down and dozed off again while Sanji had went to his own suite to change clothes, caught a whiff and immediately sat up. His stomach growled loudly. Sanji turned at the odd sound and smiled.

"Just making breakfast for my marimo. I'm sure he's starving." He chirped and turned back to his cooking.

'_His marimo._' Zoro felt his heart jump. He looked at Sanji's new outfit: a dusty heather pink t-shirt and dark gray sweatpants. Cute. The sweatpants were slightly fitted and tapered at the bottom, doing wonders for the guy's powerful legs, but still left enough to the imagination.

Zoro decided to get changed while he waited. He shoved off of the bed and shuffled his way to the dresser. He pulled out a heather gray and red long sleeve cotton baseball shirt and a pair of black shorts. He threw his shirt on and slid the shorts on over his boxers. He slept in only his boxers, not that he thought Sanji even noticed.

Sanji noticed. He saw Zoro shuffle about and noticed the lime green boxers contrast against his tan skin. '_He stripped before sleeping? Huh._' Sanji continued to cook. It didn't bother him. It flattered him that Zoro was comfortable enough to do that around him.

Zoro shuffled to the living area and plopped down on the chair. He watched Sanji cook. It was like a dance. Sanji flitted about the kitchen, skillfully preparing each ingredient as if it were the main event of the dish. It was like an art form within of itself. Graceful.

Sanji sauntered over to the living area with two steaming plates, and handed one to Zoro. It looked even better than it smelled, and it smelled like heaven. Zoro eagerly dug in, tasting the sweet banana and spicy cinnamon. It was perfection.

Sanji watched, satisfied as Zoro inhaled the breakfast. He smiled and ate as well, a comfortable silence filling the room. He loved showing off his skills. After Zoro finished his plate, he looked up.

"Good?" Sanji asked, hoping the breakfast impressed his newfound partner.

"Hm. 'S okay. Thanks for the meal."

Sanji smiled. He knew that was the best he was going to get out of this guy. And the almost-licked-clean plate spoke for itself.

* * *

**Sanji's outfit was actually inspired by what I was wearing at the time of writing this! I work at an athletic apparel store, so all I wear is their stuff, and I thought my outfit would look good on Sanji too. Guys can wear pink, too! Zoro's outfit inspired by some other clothes we sell. I like making outfits, okay? It's my job! ^^ And the bananas foster breakfast was something inspired by what my chef dad made me once. IT'S DELICIOUS. ~heartpiratesanji  
**


	6. Headbutt

Sanji looked at his phone. It had been a whole month since he had come to this hotel. A whole month that he had met and been with Zoro. And in that month, he started to develop a love-hate relationship with Zoro.

To start off, after a week and a half of knowing each other, they decided to move into Sanji's suite, saving both of them money while they split the cost of staying there. It wasn't an easy move, only because Zoro almost got lost each time he went between the rooms to move his stuff in. He also wanted to do things his own way, butting heads with Sanji over where to put things and how the swords could not take up the couch in the living area.

Everything Sanji said, Zoro had to say something back. He was so argumentative, instigating bickering over stupid things. Everything Sanji did, Zoro had to comment on. When Sanji tapped his foot while cooking, when Sanji sang in the shower, when Sanji meticulously folded his clothes. Zoro had a snarky comment for everything.

But Sanji loved every bit of it. This guy had an attitude. He wasn't afraid to call Sanji out on stuff. But Sanji noted equally that, as much of an ass as his marimo could be, he was just as much of a dork. The man read with thick, square rimmed glasses. He made cute faces while he was thinking really hard, resembling that puppy dog look Sanji loved. He would smile like a total moron while talking about his swords and his various matches.

Zoro was also a sucker for cuddling. He never let Sanji know just how much he liked it, and would 'reluctantly' return Sanji's affections, but Sanji could tell that he secretly loved every second of it, sometimes subtly pulling him closer or giving a quick kiss to the forehead when he thought Sanji was sleeping.

Zoro equally loved sharing the suite with Sanji. He got amazing meals every day, which Sanji did his research on and made some traditional Japanese dishes. Sanji made the best rice balls that Zoro had ever eaten, they were his absolute favorite snack, and insisted Sanji make more of them.

He loved how Sanji looked after a shower with his wet hair sticking to his face and the flushed look on his cheeks. He loved how peaceful the cook looked in his sleep, his nose sometimes twitching as he dreamt of some dish he was smelling the aroma of. However, one month after they met, something strange happened while Sanji was asleep that shook Zoro up.

It was like any other night they had spent together. Zoro had gone to teach his kendo class, came back, showered, and once he got out of the shower he had an amazing dinner waiting for him from Sanji. During his day, Sanji had cleaned the suite up a bit, did some grocery shopping, and went to the gym for a while. He then came home and cooked an amazing dinner of fresh takoyaki and seafood fried rice. The cook and swordsman enjoyed their dinner and talked about their days and made small dinner conversation.

After dinner, Sanji cleaned up and Zoro went to the bedroom to catch up on one of his favorite mangas. Shortly thereafter, Sanji joined him and they watched a martial arts action movie, and much to Sanji's amusement, had a commentary from Zoro the whole time about how unrealistic that movie was, and how he would kick all of their asses.

It was getting late, so Sanji changed into his light blue flannel pajama bottoms, and Zoro stripped into his boxers. They fell fast asleep, Zoro's chin resting atop Sanji's head. About an hour after they both fell asleep, Zoro was awakened by strange whimpering.

He cracked open an eye to see Sanji's face flushed and glistening with sweat, his features contorted into an expression of fear. "No. Anything but that... No... NO!" Sanji screeched and sat up so fast he slammed his face into Zoro's, causing a bloody nose for the surprised swordsman.

"No! No! No!" Sanji yelled, his voice cracking as if he were about to start crying. He still wasn't awake. He flailed his arms as if he were trying to fight someone.

"Sanji! Snap out of it! Sanji!" Zoro shouted while trying to hold his nose. Thankfully none of the blood got anywhere but his bare chest, he could easily wash that off. What the hell was going on?

Sanji's eyes shot open, and Zoro caught a feral look in the blue irises that he had never seen before. Sanji was terrified. The cook breathed heavily, and started to run his hand through his hair when he noticed that Zoro was bleeding. "SHIT! What happened to you? Why are you bleeding? Are you okay?" The feral look dissipated and was replaced with one of worry.

"Me?! What about you! You gave me the bloody nose! What were you doing!" Zoro snapped. He didn't mean to snap but his nose was throbbing. He hoped it wasn't broken.

Sanji's eyes grew wide. A look of realization came to his face when he realized how sweaty and out of breath he was. "Oh no..." He mumbled, putting his face in his hands.

Zoro got up and snatched a wad of paper towels from the kitchen. He then stumbled into the bathroom to wipe the blood off of himself. He figured the cook needed a minute, so he'd take the time for some self care. He looked in the bathroom mirror. There was already a large, purple bruise marring his caramel complexion. Great, how would he explain this to the kids in his class? He sighed. '_At least it makes me look like a badass_,' he thought grimly with a smirk. He pulled the paper towels away, the bleeding finally had stopped.

He went back over to Sanji, who was still in the same position on the bed, head in his hands. Zoro sat next to him and noticed a small sound. Sobbing? "Hey..." Zoro placed a soft hand on Sanji's shoulder.

Zoro's gaze met with tear filled blue eyes, and a tear stained face. When Sanji saw the destruction upon Zoro's face that he had caused, his lip started to quiver. "My god, your face. I'm so fucking sorry..." He bit out through tears, trying his hardest not to cry in front of the marimo.

"Don't be. It makes me look cool." Zoro smiled wide with perfect white teeth. "The kids down at the dojo will think I'm a badass now."

Sanji choked out a laugh. Zoro knew that Sanji needed the smile. But what just happened? Why was he freaking out in his sleep? Why was he sobbing now? He wanted to ask so many things, but now was not the time. If Sanji wants him to know, he'd tell him on his own. Zoro respects a man's privacy.

He felt himself being squeezed around the waist, and looked down to see Sanji hugging him. "Thank you." Sanji buried his face into Zoro's ribs.

"For what?" Zoro rubbed Sanji's back in gentle circles.

"For not returning the favor," Sanji let out a small smile. "And for staying."

"I said I accepted you. That meant all of you. Now, I'm not sure what just happened, but I respect that it was something about you and if you don't wish to tell me about it, that's fine. But I'm always here for you. You're my shitty cook."

At this, the tears overflowed. Sanji never had anyone treat him this well after one of his 'outbursts'. Was this real? Even his ex, whom he was with for five years, never wanted to sleep in the same room as him. It definitely made their love life nonexistent. But Zoro didn't care?

"R-really? You, you m-mean it?" Sanji sniffed. He was pulled into a soft hug by the guy whose face he just unconsciously rammed into. He felt a kiss on the top of his head.

"We all have demons. They just show themselves in different ways."

* * *

**Thank you everyone for all of your favorites, follows, and positive reviews! ;A ; I love you guys! You're really adding fuel to my ZoSan fire! (Edit: I changed the time scale slightly so it isn't moving as fast as before!) ~heartpiratesanji  
**


	7. Brothers

TRIGGER WARNING: Violence, sexual abuse, rape, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt.

* * *

_It was a beautiful day. The sea was sparkling with golden tones from the sun dancing on the turquoise waters. Sanji was standing at the top of a cliff just above the shoreline, but he wasn't there to enjoy the view._

_He was worthless. No matter what anyone else said, he knew it on the inside. He felt it. He felt empty. It was time to end it. He couldn't withstand the horrible tortures of his life any longer. No 17 year old should ever have to endure a life like this._

_Yesterday was the worst day yet. He was sitting all by himself on the bridge, overlooking a river that emptied itself into the sea. He thought of it being similar to life. You lead your own, on its own path, but eventually, all lives meet and become one in the end. A familiar, taunting, voice stirred him from his thoughts._

_He knew what was coming as he felt his shirt collar jerked up, almost choking him. He didn't even try to struggle. He just wanted to get it over with. Soon it would all be over. He came quietly, his attacker leading the way._

_He was thrown into a wall in some alley, way off of the beaten path, surely so no one would hear him scream. Not that he was going to, anyway. He wouldn't give this bastard the satisfaction. He knew the other kid enjoyed this sick, twisted activity just as much as Sanji hated it._

_His face was pressed up against the rough brick wall, leaving scrapes in its wake. Sanji felt himself go numb as his body decided to block out all feeling in a sad attempt to defend itself. He was thrown onto the ground, ordered to kneel before his assaulter._

_"Take it in. Take it all," a borderline demonic voice growled at him from above. He did as he was told, tears streaming down his face. He tried to stop them from flowing, but he just couldn't. His throat hurt, his body ached, and his soul was broken._

_"Turn around. I don't want to even look at you, queer freak!" Sanji felt a sharp pain in his side as he was kicked. Those words never ceased to hurt him. He would have rather just been kicked. Beaten. Tortured. But the words always hurt him as much as if they were new. He felt his jeans being ripped as his head was slammed into the bricks._

_"I bet you're enjoying this too, fag," the horrible voice taunted. Sanji couldn't take it anymore. That last bit of his soul that clinged to humanity burst forth within him._

_"There's a difference between being gay and being a rapist, bastard. I harm no one."_

_He felt sharp pain at his neck, and a hot wetness trickling down into his shirt. The bastard brought a knife, and was holding it to Sanji's neck._

_"Don't speak to me, trash. You're less than human, you have no say!"_

_Sanji bit back a whimper and just waited. He felt a horrible, burning pain at his backside as he was thrusts against the wall, with his attackers breath in his ear, the knife still digging slightly into his neck. With each thrust, the knife dug a little deeper, closer to biting a vital spot._

_Just when Sanji thought that the next thrust would be his last, his assaulter dropped the knife and grabbed Sanji's shoulders from behind, pinning him while he finished._

_Sanji felt disgusting. He felt used, abused, hollow. He wanted nothing more to just stay in that alley and rot. He felt hot tears well up in his eyes once again as he curled up, feeling a hot mixture of blood and semen between his legs. He heard a satisfied grunt from behind him, which made him flinch. He heard the knife being picked up, and footsteps coming towards him._

_"Now I'll show you what happens when you talk back to me," a sadistic voice said coldly, curdling the blood in Sanji's veins. He yelped as he felt his legs being pulled out from under him. The sick, twisted smile he saw was enough to give him nightmares for the rest of his life. The knife, brandished in the attacker's hand, was slowly going for Sanji's legs._

_"No, no. Anything but that!" He yelled without thinking. That was his mistake. He felt sharp pain in his leg as a knife carved away at his skin, leaving destruction in its path. As soon as Sanji thought it was over, he felt his other leg being torn at. He didn't know if he was screaming, or if it was his mind, or the sound of blood rushing through his head. But it was loud. Deafening._

_It was the sound of his hope shattering._

_"That will teach you." Sanji heard the footsteps walk away. As soon as they left his earshot, he stole a glance at the destruction of his body and the surrounding area. There was blood everywhere. His jeans were flung to the side, in one piece thankfully. He felt his throat. Still okay. It stopped bleeding a bit ago. The cut wasn't as bad as he thought._

_His legs._

_He looked down in horror. Swirls and waves like that of the raging ocean were carved into both of his legs. The cuts were shallow, but still bled and still hurt. They were going to scar. A constant reminder of that day._

_He snuck home without anyone noticing. He went to his room and cleaned himself up before his father noticed. He wore sweatpants so they wouldn't hurt the cuts too much. It's okay. It'd be over soon anyways._

_Sanji looked down from the cliff he was now standing on. Two long years of this abuse was finally over. He could finally have some peace. This world just wasn't worth it. Not when friends did these kind of things to each other._

_Sanji trusted him. He thought he did. That's why he came out to him, his best friend. Or at least he thought the guy was his best friend. But, apparently that wasn't the case. Anger, hatred, disgust. The abuse started immediately. Sanji had no idea what to do. His own best friend didn't accept him, and hated him. Everyone hated him._

_He lifted a foot over the edge of the cliff. It wasn't very high up, but it was high enough. There was a slight chance he'd survive, but if he did, that was only life showing how cruel it could be. He lost everything. He had nothing. No one. Only his father. And he felt bad about leaving him behind, but in his mind, Sanji knew it was for the best. He didn't want to disgrace the one person he loved most._

_Falling._

* * *

It had been three months since he first met Zoro. A little over two months since they decided to share a suite and split the costs. And about two months when Sanji bloodied Zoro's nose in his sleep. He still felt awful about the whole situation. He wanted to tell Zoro what happened so badly. Why he acted that way, why he looked so afraid. He trusted Zoro, but he needed more time. He just hoped he wouldn't do it again.

Zoro had acted like nothing happened the day after the incident. His nose and eye were an angry mix of purple and red bruising. It looked a lot worse in the light than it did when it first happened. But Zoro never mentioned it, not wanting to upset Sanji more than he had been. Zoro took extra care to help around the suite, not wanting to set Sanji off in any way. He was less argumentative, and a lot more helpful than usual. Sanji noticed.

"You know, you don't have to do all of this. I'm perfectly fine."

"I want to. I don't want to be a burden to you," Zoro mumbled as he dried the dishes Sanji handed him.

"I don't want you to feel like you're being a burden," Sanji looked up. He really didn't want Zoro to feel bad about anything that happened. It wasn't his fault in the slightest. Sanji wanted Zoro to know that. "It wasn't your fault."

"What wasn't?" Zoro looked up and put the dish down that he was drying.

"The nightmare, the crying, the me-breaking-your-face. It wasn't your fault. So stop acting like it was."

"I'm not. I just wanted to be more of a help around here," Zoro replied. "I figured it'd be a nice thing to do so you'd stop feeling so guilty about my face. I still think I look cool." Zoro let out a hearty laugh and pat Sanji on the back. "You're the one that needs to stop feeling bad."

"I can't help it!" Sanji whined and stopped washing dishes. "I should have warned you about my occasional night terrors. They don't happen often, though. But I still should have mentioned it..." Sanji trailed off and looked down, drying his hands.

"Hey, it happens. Everyone has their faults, right? Although, even with that nightmare, I would still take a hit like that to the face any day if it means I could be there to comfort you..." Zoro turned away so Sanji couldn't see him blushing.

"You're the best, really," Sanji's face felt hot. "I don't deserve you."

He felt himself being pulled into a hug. "I could say the same, shit cook."

* * *

Sanji awoke and started breakfast on the day of their three months of knowing each other. He turned to look at Zoro, still fast asleep. How could he get so lucky? He thought about the day he turned around and smacked into the swordsman. He thought about the day they moved into the same suite. He thought about the nightmare that put the bruise on Zoro's face, which was now long gone, but still imprinted heavily on Sanji's mind.

The day he was rescued at the bottom of the cliff, he was found by a black haired man about the same age as him, just a little older. The guy was in medical school, when he found Sanji lying there unconscious he immediately treated Sanji's injuries and took him to the hospital where he was training at.

The man who saved Sanji's life was named Trafalgar Law.

Trafalgar was a Spanish exchange student studying abroad at one of the hospitals in the town Sanji lived in. He was a handsome man. Tan skin, golden eyes, raven hair, and the most charming smile ever, if you could get one out of him. He was also wickedly smart.

Sanji awoke some time after his fall to see this handsome face staring back at him. He was told where he was, the situation, and asked about what happened. His father was also there, elated that his son had woken up, even if he hardly showed it. Sanji knew his father being there was enough to know that he was deeply concerned.

He told Law everything. He wasn't sure why, but he did. His father listened, and remained quiet. Law nodded throughout the whole story, and then gave Sanji a list of therapists to see for the trauma that he had endured for those two years. No doubt that he had post traumatic stress disorder. Law also said that Sanji only managed to break his arm, but it was a miracle that he survived that fall practically unscathed.

Sanji wiggled his fingers in the cast, which was light blue, and Law left the room telling him that he could be discharged whenever he pleased, and that he just needs to follow up with therapy. "You tell them my favorite color was blue, geezer?"

"I was worried about you, eggplant. Don't ever do that again!" Sanji felt a smack to the back of his head. His father was definitely concerned.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner. So... You're not angry?" Sanji asked cautiously, awaiting a beating that he was sure would come, but never did.

"Eggplant, I don't care what you prefer, men, women, both, none... It doesn't make me love you any less."

He said the "L" word. Sanji gaped.

"Now work on getting better so you can get back to work, or I'll fire you, you good for nothing little shit! You can still do work with a broken arm!" And with that, his father left.

Sanji left the hospital shortly after, only to run into his rescuer outside. Law was leaning against a yellow Volkswagen bus, talking to a very tall and broad redhead. '_What an odd vehicle for a doctor_,' Sanji thought. But that wasn't the strangest thing he saw.

Law and this redhead had their arms around each other, and the red head leaned down and kissed the Spanish doctor. Law then noticed Sanji standing in the parking lot. "Mr. Black!" He shouted and motioned for him to come over.

"Please, call me Sanji. Thank you for saving me." Sanji scratched the back of his head. He looked up at the redhead who was glowering at him. Or was that just his normal face?

"Fine then, Sanji." Law smiled. "Hearing your story, I decided to tell you something important." He looked up at the redhead who had his arms around Law. "I'm the same as you. And I want you to know, it never becomes easy. People always stare. They always judge. They hate what they do not understand. But," he continued, "never stop looking for the one. When you find him, you'll find that all of the hatred you've endured was worth it, and nothing compared to the love that you will receive." With that, he looked up at the redhead who had a tender expression on his face.

"That's... That's amazing. Thank you. I needed that." Sanji smiled. A genuine smile. He hadn't smiled genuinely for years.

"I know you did. Meet Eustass. He came along and saved me from a situation similar to the one you were in." Law gestured to the hulking redhead who nodded and kissed the top of Law's head.

"Well met. I'm very happy for you two. It's nice to meet someone who has genuinely been through the same things as me." Sanji smiled to both of them.

"We should keep him around, just so he has someone to talk to and have some genuine friends to be with. From what I can tell and what you've told me, he has none. So now he has us," Eustass said very matter-of-factly. The man had a heavy brogue of some sort. Scottish? He looked to Sanji. "Consider me your big brother now. No one will ever hurt you as long as I'm around."

Sanji felt his heart soar. People like him actually were out there. They were flesh and blood people! They were standing in front of him. They rescued and protected him. They were his friends.

And with that, a lifetime friendship had been forged. Law and Eustass were actually married now, also living in Seattle. All three of them had moved there when Sanji had turned 20, and they shared an apartment for two years. Eustass proposed shortly thereafter, and they were soon wed and happier than anyone else on the planet.

Sanji had moved out to live with his now-ex girlfriend when he was 22, but he still hung out with them all the time. They were his best friends. Law had gotten a job at the hospital, and Eustass was a mechanic at his own garage. They had their own house now, a white malamute named Bepo, and still had that yellow Volkswagen bus.

Looking back at a sleeping Zoro, Sanji decided that it was time that he introduce his new boyfriend to his best friends. It had been seven years since Law saved his life and Eustass took Sanji's protection into his own hands. He owed them everything, yet nothing. The two men who had protected him and took him under their wings like big brothers. They thanklessly watched out for him, insisting they did it because they were his friends, and not because they wanted something in return, a first in Sanji's life. They just wanted to see him happy. If anyone had a good judgement of character, it was them. He'd take Zoro to see them today, then hopefully know if he should or shouldn't reveal his dark past to the swordsman who swept him off his feet.

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It was a little heartbreaking for me to write :( But it needed to be done. *gets shot* I'M SORRY PLEASE FORGIVE ME IT ONLY GETS HAPPIER FROM HERE! But the sad past just had to be taken care of first before things get better! (Edited for time-accuracy and better continuity!) ~heartpiratesanji  
**


	8. Breakfast in Bed

"Wake up marimo. Breakfast." Sanji nudged Zoro's shoulder. Zoro growled in reply. "I'm not playing this game, moss head." Sanji reached out to grab Zoro's shoulder to shake him again when his wrist was grabbed and he was pulled into the bed.

"I wanna cuddle."

"... Are you feeling alright?" Zoro never asked to cuddle before. This was definitely new.

"I'd feel better if you just stayed in bed with me. Breakfast can wait," Zoro purred. My my, he was in a good mood. Zoro was right, Sanji only made fruit salads for breakfast. Sanji had put them in the fridge while he cleaned up after making them, so they could wait.

"Alright I guess so..." Sanji faked sounding irritated. "But don't get used to this." He felt a hand slide up his leg. He shivered.

"Oh don't worry. Today's a special treat." The tone in Zoro's voice put Sanji on edge. He didn't mean...

Sanji felt his waistband being tugged at. He would have jumped nearly clean off the bed, if there had not been a strong arm across his chest. He also realized that he involuntarily let out a yelp. He felt himself being turned around to face a very confused marimo.

"Did I hurt you?" Concern was in the man's voice. No, Sanji wasn't hurt. But he didn't want to tell Zoro what was really going on. Not yet.

"N-no. You just startled me, is all." Sanji bit his lip. What should he do?

"Oh, sorry. I mean if you don't want to, we can wait..." Zoro pouted. That damn pout. It put toddlers to shame with its charm. Sanji was about ready to crack. But then he had an idea. It had been three months, after all... The swordsman deserved a little something for his time.

"Well... I guess I can do _something_ for my marimo..." He slid a hand down to Zoro's crotch, which earned him a surprised grunt. "But, there are rules," he added putting a finger to Zoro's lips. "You can't do anything back to me. This is my show." Sanji gave Zoro a deviant smirk as the swordsman's face grew red and he stuttered.

"I-I can't touch you?!" He stammered out. This was not fair! The cook was being such a tease. "But... But I wanna make you feel good, too!" He pouted again.

"Trust me. This does." Sanji rubbed the hardness that was building in Zoro's boxers.

"No, I don't want to if I can't return it. That's not fair." Zoro was losing his resolve. If the cook kept it up much longer, he wouldn't be able to say no.

"I'm not asking what you want." Sanji leaned in and breathed in Zoro's ear. "This is what I want, for now. It'll be worth the wait, I promise." He nibbled at the earrings dangling and shining in the morning sunlight.

And with hot breath in his ear, the last of Zoro's resolve was gone. Damn cook. It better be worth it because he was gonna feel a bit guilty after this. He felt a hand slip under his boxers and tenderly grab his manhood, and he shuddered. It had been so long since anyone has touched him that way. Many months. He was already incredibly horny the whole time he was with Sanji, but he wanted to take things slow, he didn't want to mess this up. Today he just wanted to try his chances. He watched the cook make breakfast, staring at his ass and hips as he swayed his way through the kitchen. Sanji thought he was sleeping, but nope, Zoro was awake and getting ready to make his move, only to have to cook turn on him.

As Sanji's hand started pumping, Zoro let out a loud moan, which he tried to cover up with his hand. That was so embarrassing. Sanji paused, looking up at Zoro's flushed face. With his free hand he moved Zoro's hand away from his mouth, shaking his head as if he were scolding a child. "Ah ah ahhh," he taunted, "none of that. I want to hear you." And with that Sanji started pumping his hand even faster than before.

"Nghhh." This was totally unfair. Zoro felt his legs start to shake. He felt hot lips pressed against his. A little chapped, and stained with the scent of Sanji's morning cigarette. Zoro always hated the smell and taste of cigarettes, but on Sanji he loved it. He greedily shoved his tongue down Sanji's throat, earning a moan from the cook.

"Nmm." Sanji happily took Zoro's tongue into his mouth, stroking it with his own and sucking on it delicately. He was really going to blow this guy's mind. He pulled away, sucking the tongue until he reached the tip and then nipped it. Zoro's face was flushed and he was beginning to sweat. He wasn't going to last much longer.

"Ahh, ah," Zoro panted. Looking at the cook wasn't going to help him. Sanji's face was flushed a light rosy pink, his blonde hair tousled and messy, he was panting and licking his lips. "Ghh. I won't last much longer, cook." Zoro panted.

An evil smile crept across Sanji's features. Now was the time to make his move. He released Zoro, and slowly dragged the waistband of Zoro's boxers down to his thighs. Those strong, powerful thighs. Zoro started breathing harder. Sanji looked down and licked his lips. He had his hand on it, but he didn't realize just exactly how large Zoro was. It was impressive.

"I'm feeling hungry..." Sanji purred as he leaned into the swordsman. He started kissing and sucking at Zoro's neck, earning moans and grunts from the wound up man beneath him. He trailed down along Zoro's scar, licking at the skin and flicking his tongue against the nipple, which earned him a gasp. "Oh, I found a delectable little morsel!" He smirked and continued to flick his tongue on the newfound sensitive spot.

"Shit! Damnit cook! Don't be like that!" Zoro moaned out between gasps.

"Be like what?" Sanji sang back at him, looking up at him with fake confusion and a pout. Why did he have to be so damn adorable?

"You stopped... I need..." Zoro didn't wanna say it. It was too embarrassing.

"Yesss?" Sanji crooned, waiting for the response he wanted to hear.

"I need it. Please. Please," Zoro whined. The throbbing between his legs was becoming unbearable. He reached down to take care of it himself only to be smacked away.

"Nooope! Can't do that, I'm afraid!" Sanji sang through a taunting smile. "Please, what? What do you want me to do?"

"...tch m..."

"Yes?" Here it comes...

"Touch me."

"Didn't quite catch that, marimo. You gotta speak up!" This was too much fun.

"TOUCH ME DAMMIT!" Zoro half shouted and half moaned. "I can't take it anymore, please touch me!"

Sanji chuckled an evil little chuckle. "If you insist. As I said, I'm a bit ravenous right now..." And with a wink, he trailed his tongue down Zoro's scar and reached the man's hips. He licked a couple of circles around the beautiful musculature and lines leading to the treasure he was after.

Zoro was having a hard time staying still. He wanted the cook incredibly bad. But he was a man of his word and would respect Sanji's rules. But this was becoming painful. Once Sanji finally got his head down to his hips Zoro's hard on was so painful he was groaning just to keep from going insane. It had been so long. He needed release.

Sanji decided to stop teasing the poor guy. He flicked his tongue at the base of the shaft, licking upwards like a gigantic popsicle. He felt Zoro's legs quiver with anticipation. He was so hot and hard in his mouth, Sanji enjoyed every second of the moans he heard. He loved making the man moan like this, he'd have to do it more...

Once he reached the head, he swirled his tongue around the tip, and then drew his mouth back and gently blew. The cooling sensation drove Zoro wild and he let out a long groan. "Damn..." Satisfied with the reaction, Sanji took Zoro into his mouth, flicking his tongue on the underside of the head and humming greedily as he took the whole length in his mouth.

Zoro was seeing stars. No one could ever take him in like that before. And all these little tricks Sanji was using was driving him mad. His hips involuntarily bucked, but Sanji didn't choke. "Nnngh. Sanji..." He looked down to see a pair of devious blue eyes staring him down, piercing through his very soul. Zoro threw his head back and let out a guttural groan. This guy was a pro.

Sanji took the groan as his queue to start his motions. He started gently at first, using his one hand to guide the thrusts and the other wrapped around the small of Zoro's back. Gradually, he went harder, deeper, and used the hand under Zoro's back to help thrust him into Sanji's mouth. Zoro gladly obeyed.

Zoro began to feel that familiar warmth coiling in his gut. He was close. "S-San... I-I'm-nnngh!" He couldn't even get the words out before Sanji started to swallow around Zoro's cock, letting out a contented hum while doing so. Sanji knew he was close and he was going to make him feel better than anyone else ever had.

"Ahh. Ahhhhhh, GHH!" Zoro groaned and reached down to grab a fistful of the blonde hair to hold Sanji's head in place as the thrusted upwards. Sanji felt hot liquid slide down his throat and pulsing between his lips. He groaned into Zoro's orgasm as Zoro rode it out, intensifying it.

Once it was over, Zoro collapsed on the bed, glistening with sweat. He released Sanji's hair, and let his hands fall limp to his sides. Sanji sat up, swallowing anything left in his mouth. He looked down at the panting swordsman with a satisfied smirk. "Thanks for the meal," he purred as he wiped his mouth.

"C'mere." Zoro reached his arms up to Sanji and pulled him down into a big sweaty hug. "Damn cook."

"Marimo..." The tone in Zoro's voice was so soft and gentle it caught Sanji off guard. He felt a warmth in his chest that he had not felt before. He felt happy, safe, and warm in this mans arms. He felt... Loved. A face-splitting grin covered his face. "Hey. Marimo?"

"Mm?" Zoro pulled away to look Sanji in the eye. That adorable grin Sanji had always got him. He smiled right back with the same perfect smile. "What is it, cook?"

"I... I think..." Sanji didn't know if he wanted to say it yet. Was this feeling he had true? Was it really love? He never felt it before. It felt strange. But in a good way. Was this what Law meant? "I-"

"Same." Zoro cut him off. Sanji looked up at Zoro with a surprised face.

"You didn't even hear what I was going to say, shithead."

"I don't have to. I already know." Sanji felt himself get pulled in tighter by the beaming swordsman. He had never seen Zoro smile so much. It was the most charming smile Sanji had ever seen. He wanted to see it more.

"Mm." Sanji let out a content sigh. He reached his hands down and pulled Zoro's boxers up for him. "Well come on, let's eat breakfast. I have plans for us today."

"Oh? What sort of plans?" Zoro asked, half asleep once again.

"I'm introducing you to my best friends. They're like my brothers. They're the only family I have here." Sanji got up from the bed and stretched. Zoro watched after him. Sanji looked like a cat when he stretched. Graceful, but could still destroy you if he so felt it. It was sexy as hell.

"Alright. We can do that. Let's eat. Those fruit salads looked amazing."

Sanji paused. He didn't tell Zoro they were having fruit salads. "How did you-" Sanji was pulled down onto the bed again by Zoro and smooched on the neck.

"How does breakfast in bed sound, cook?"

* * *

**I HEAR YAOI! Haha I figured I throw in a little naughty chapter just for the people who stuck around through all of my insanity so far. Thanks, guys! ~heartpiratesanji**


	9. Anniversary

"We'll be over there in about half an hour, okay? Yeah, I'm bringing him," Sanji glanced at Zoro, who was clumsily getting his pants on. "No, tell Eustass he doesn't need to get the chainsaw ready. This guy is okay. I swear." At the mention of a chainsaw, Zoro looked up, slightly disturbed.

"Chainsaw?!"

"No. Listen, Zoro's nothing to worry about, you don't need to scare him!" Sanji's face grew red. "No you can't take blood samples, Law. That's not how you greet someone in polite society."

Zoro's eyes grew wide. What sort of friends were these?

"He's not diseased! I don't need you to check for me!" Sanji shouted into the phone. "Law, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have AIDS."

"Sheesh." Zoro got up and rubbed the back of his head. "I've had all my shots, I promise."

"Law he said he's had all his shots okay?" Zoro could hear faint chittering on the phone. "Okay, see you soon. And please make sure Eustass isn't planning anything stupid, m'kay?" And with a huff, Sanji tapped his phone and ended the call. "My god, those two."

"What kind of friends do you have, exactly?" Zoro said in a worried tone. "Chainsaws? Blood samples? Do I need to bring a physical form with me? Some armor maybe?"

"Nah, they're just protective of me, is all. They have their reasons..." Sanji trailed off. "I have a present to give them, though. That should distract them. Anyhow, let's get moving. You mind if we use your car?"

"Sure. I'll let you drive since you know where you're going." Zoro tossed Sanji a set of keys. Sanji grabbed a basket sitting on the counter and made for the door.

They headed down to the lobby, greeted a chipper Brook who was humming to himself, and went out to the parking garage. Here they found Zoro's car, a black Honda Civic. Sanji set the basket in the back seat. "Alright let's go. We'll have lunch when we get there," Sanji said to Zoro as he slid into the driver's seat. He started the car and they set off to their destination.

* * *

"Bepo!" Sanji cried as a huge, fluffy white dog tackled him to the ground. The dog was almost bigger than him. "Who's a good boy? I haven't seen you in a while!" Sanji cooed at the big, dopey dog. The dog almost looked like a bear.

Zoro stood awkwardly by the front gate of the house they arrived at. It was a very nice house. Big, a pale blue that matched the skies, a white fence, two stories, and a worn-in homey look that made it feel comfortable. Zoro watched as a huge redhead emerged from the garage, covered in oil and grease, showing a menacing, toothy grin. "Sanji! Law, Sanji's here!" The man boomed.

"Eustass! You're filthy. What are you working on now?" Sanji was about to hug him but paused at the man's appearance.

"Old bike. I think you'd like it. It's gorgeous. I'm almost done with it! You still living off public transit?" The man smirked and shook his head. "Because I was considering giving you the little beauty. A sort of late anniversary present." Eustass folded his enormous arms across his chest. "It's been exactly seven years since Law and I met you. Did you forget?"

"Of course I didn't!" Sanji beamed. "Hold on a sec!" He ran back over to the civic and pulled out the basket. "For my dear friends. The finest in the world!" He brandished a basket full of exotic wines that Zoro couldn't pronounce, and in the basket was also an assortment of aged cheeses, no doubt to accompany the wine. "I hand picked this myself. Only the best for you two."

"Excellent! We'll enjoy these after lunch!" The man laughed, and then turned to Zoro, a stern look on his face. "So this is the guy."

Sanji coughed. "Yes. This is Zoro. World famous kendo master." Sanji blushed ever so slightly.

"Pleased to meet you," Zoro offered, only to receive a grunt in return. "Thank you for having us over."

"It's no problem. Sanji is basically my little brother." Eustass uncrossed his arms and wiped his hand on a rag sticking out of his pants. "Let's go in. I'm sure Law is waiting for us. Come, Bepo."

"Excellent," Sanji chirped, falling in stride with Eustass. "I can't wait to see the bike, I'm getting tired of the bus. It'll be nice to ride once again."

"I thought you'd like it," Eustass gave Sanji a warm smile. He really did look like an older brother for an instant. Zoro followed behind them, hoping to make the right impression. Eustass was a bit intimidating. Eustass looked back to Zoro. "So. You plan on being with Sanji, eh?" He asked in a slightly menacing tone.

"Eustass. We're already together. Don't start." Sanji palmed his face and ran his fingers through his hair. Sounded like this wasn't the first time this has happened.

"I'm not starting anything. I only want the best for you," Eustass replied in a hurt tone. "So what's with the green hair? You some sort of rebel or something?"

"What's with the lack of eyebrows? They fall off?" Zoro retorted.

Big mistake.

Eustass whipped around and held Zoro up against the wall with a single hand. "What's that? I think I had some grease in my ear. Say that again." A long leg rested itself on the arm that pinned Zoro. Sanji.

"I said don't start." Sanji glared at Eustass, then to Zoro. "That meant you too, jackass."

"Can we not do this in the house? I just cleaned." A smooth voice called from the living room.

"Sorry. I'll go get a shower." Eustass grumbled as he released Zoro and trudged upstairs. Zoro rubbed his neck. He had never met anyone that could do that to him before. If Sanji weren't there, who knows what would have happened. He felt a sharp pain in his shin.

"Why'd you do that?!" Zoro yelped as he was kicked by the cook. "He started it!"

"Yeah and he was about to finish it too. Don't cross him. Shithead," Sanji grumbled and kissed Zoro on the cheek. "You're trying to make a good impression on them, not get killed." He batted his eyes exaggeratedly at the swordsman.

"Fine. But only because it's for you," Zoro grumbled at the cook. "Introduce me."

They walked into the living room to find Law sitting in a comfy looking armchair, reading a large medical journal. Bepo was sitting at his feet, tail wagging and thumping on the floor as he saw Sanji. Law looked up and offered a warm smile. "Little brother."

Sanji walked over and embraced the man in the chair, again leaving Zoro to stand awkwardly by himself. Law had raven hair, tan skin, light brown eyes so light that they almost looked golden, and was covered in tattoos, at least from what Zoro could see in the short sleeve shirt the man wore. His hands read 'DEATH' across the knuckles. Ironic for someone who deals with the living.

"Law. It's so good to see you. You look like hell. Have you been sleeping? Eating well?" Sanji questioned.

"Eating yes, sleeping, well I'm a surgeon, we don't sleep much." Sleepy eyes looked over to Zoro. "So this is the new catch, yeah?"

Law stood up. The chair made him look deceptively shorter than he was. He was actually taller than Zoro. "I'm Trafalgar. But just call me Law, yeah?" He extended a hand to Zoro.

Zoro took the hand and gave the man a healthy handshake. "Zoro, well met. Thank you for having me. Sorry about, uh..."

Law raised a hand. "Don't mind Eustass, he's a bit protective. He's actually a big softie. Don't tell him I said that," Law looked up with a smirk. Zoro couldn't tell if his tone was serious or heavily sarcastic. "Come. I'm sure you're hungry."

"None of that, Law. I'll make lunch. I also brought this," Sanji said holding the basket up for Law to inspect, who grinned and nodded.

"Have it your way, Sanji. I figured you'd want to cook so I made sure our kitchen was stocked. You have free reign." Law sauntered back over to the chair and picked up the medical journal.

Sanji danced into the kitchen like a giddy child on Christmas awaiting to see what was in store for them. Zoro followed Sanji and took a seat at one of the stools at their breakfast bar counter. Sanji set the basket on the counter and looked through the kitchen and pantry to see what he had to work with.

"Lovely! I'll make a delightful seafood paella!" Sanji sang and began with his work. Zoro leaned his head on his hand and watched Sanji do what he does best. And admittedly, he watched the lower half more than the upper half. A hand on his shoulder jerked him out of his perverse thoughts.

"I'd like to have a word with you," a voice growled in his ear.

Zoro got up, and turned around to follow the owner of the voice into the living room. Sanji noticed, and shrugged. If they were going to be in the same room as Law, things wouldn't get out of hand. Only Law could keep Eustass under tabs. Sanji trusted them with his life, so he trusted them to handle this in a civil manner.

Zoro plopped down on the couch across from the loveseat that the two other men had situated themselves. It almost felt as if he were being interviewed... Or interrogated.

"So, you intend on being with Sanji, yeah?" Law started in a cool, calm voice. "That's wonderful."

"Yes, he is. I mean-" Zoro caught his words and let out an awkward chuckle. "It is."

"Now, us being his brothers, we need to make sure you're going to treat him right." Eustass added. Zoro, now seeing the man in just a t-shirt and sweatpants, realized how actually ridiculously muscular the man was. "We only want what's best for our little bro. He's not our blood brother, but those sort of things don't matter."

"I understand completely," Zoro replied. He greatly respected these two men for protecting Sanji, but he had to wonder if anything happened before that warranted this kind of protection. Zoro looked up at the two men, whose expressions had softened.

Law spoke first. "Now, has he told you about his past yet?" Law sounded almost cautious.

"I just know that he grew up in France, and that his father is still there, and he's here," Zoro replied. What an odd question. Was there something he needed to know? He looked to Sanji in the kitchen, who froze at hearing that question.

"I haven't told him," Sanji interjected blandly. "It hasn't come up."

"I see," Law replied. He turned to Zoro. "We just want to make sure he's in good hands, though just from talking and meeting, you seem okay enough. I'm not getting any bad vibes from you."

Sanji sighed. "I'll tell him about the past, I wanted to soon. The right time just hasn't come up yet."

"Fair enough," Eustass grunted. He looked to Zoro, who had a somewhat bewildered look on his face. "Don't worry, grass head, he's not some sort of psychopath or mob boss. Just everyone has their stories. You know how it is."

Zoro did know. He had his own.

"I can relate..." He said quietly, looking down at the floor. Sanji looked up, detecting the tone in Zoro's voice. He set down the shrimp he was deveining, and walked over to the couch. The rice needed some time, anyways. Sanji sat down next to him and looked up at him.

"Zoro?" Sanji asked softly.

Zoro looked up, his expression almost pained. He really didn't expect to be remembering things so sad at a time like this. "It's... Nothing. I just have a past of my own, too." He looked up to their two hosts. "And no I'm not some sort of serial killer or drug lord myself. I promise." He offered a weak smile.

Law and Eustass looked to each other and nodded. "It's alright, we respect the privacy of these sort of things. We just wanted to know if you knew anything or if you were some sort of psycho. Sanji cares about you very much. I can tell," Law smiled. "I trust his judgement. He wouldn't just pick any man." There was a certain emphasis on the word 'man' that Zoro couldn't quite understand. "Even if he has green hair." Law laughed.

"Oi. I like my hair." Zoro rubbed his head, thankful that the grim atmosphere was being lifted. He looked to Sanji. "So you care about me, huh?" He said in a taunting manner, which earned him a noogie from the cook.

"Shut it, marimo!" Sanji said in a fake irritated tone. "Lunch will be ready shortly, gentlemen." He got up and walked back into the kitchen to finish the meal he was preparing. Zoro smiled after him. Regardless of his unknown past or not, he couldn't help those feelings he got whenever he'd look at the cook. Zoro's eyes glittered with happiness, and it didn't go unnoticed.

"The way you look at him..." Eustass began, "It reminds me of the way I used to look at you. Shit, how I still look at you," he directed at Law, who smiled and nodded.

"Young love, yeah?" Law smirked and interlaced his fingers with his husband's. Zoro caught a sensitive look from the redhead that he never would have expected from such a daunting man. Eustass gave law a soft kiss on the top of his raven hair. "You love him, don't you?"

Zoro paused. He knew he did. Earlier that morning after their little... Activity, he all but admitted it to the cook, who he was sure was trying to tell him the same thing. Zoro nodded and looked up to Sanji in the kitchen, who had his back to them all. "Very much," he said quietly.

Sanji's heart leaped. He made like he didn't hear what they were talking about. He just went about his business of making lunch. But he heard every word. He felt a smile settle onto his face. There was a little more spring to his step than before. Zoro loved him. He knew from this morning, but hearing him admit it to someone, and adding 'very much' was a whole different feeling. He had people say they loved him before, but this felt different. It wasn't family love. It was something else entirely.

Zoro smiled to himself. It felt good to admit it to someone else. It made it feel official. He looked up again to see Eustass actually smiling at him. Zoro didn't know if he should be scared or honored.

"Good. Because if you break his heart or hurt him in any way..."

"I'll surgically disassemble you bit by bit while you're still conscious..."

"And I'll dip the remains in hydrochloric acid."

"...I promise I won't hurt him." Zoro said with wide eyes to the two men who had sick twisted smiles on their faces.

"Lunch is ready, guys. And stop scaring him." Sanji called as he placed a round of planets at the dining room table. "Now come eat while it's still hot!" Sanji squatted down to the floor. "And here's a plate just for you, Bepo!" He baby-talked to the bear of a dog. "I'd never forget you!" The dog wagged his tail excitedly and devoured his lunch.

"Sometimes I feel like you love Bepo more than us." Eustass said in a fake hurt tone, laughing.

"At least Bepo eats his food right away!" Sanji snorted. He had always loved Bepo. Big fluffy dog. Sanji really wanted to get a dog some day.

"Thanks for the meal."

Sanji felt a warm kiss on his cheek and a swordsman plopped down into the seat next to him. Zoro had that charming smile on his face as he looked to Sanji, and he began to eat. Eustass and Law quickly joined. It was almost like a normal family having lunch, aside from two of the men eating about three helpings while the other two watched their lovers with amused eyes. '_Eustass and Zoro might have more in common than they'd like to think_,' Sanji thought.

* * *

"Okay okay okay, but can you do this?"

"Even better, I can do this!"

"How long will this continue, yeah?"

"Marimo it's getting late. The sun's going down."

They had been at it for hours. Trying to top each other with some awesome feat of skill or strength. Sanji knew it was a bad idea to pack the swords in the car. He looked over to Law who looked just about as mentally exhausted as Sanji felt. Law looked to Sanji and blinked.

"Thank you for coming over. I'm glad I got to meet Zoro, finally. Even though Eustass stole him from you," Law smirked. "Oi oi not near the house please."

Sanji heard metal on metal and looked over in time to see Zoro slicing some sort of hunk of machinery in half. "Zoro, honestly?" Sanji sighed. "Thank you for having us. It seems the hardest-to-convince Eustass has warmed up to him. Zoro put that down!" Zoro had started lifting some other chunk of scrap metal to presumably cut.

"What?" He asked innocently with the sword still in his mouth. "Just this last one!"

"Yeah Sanji I gotta see this, please just this last one!" Eustass added with a pout.

"Okay. But this is the last one."

Zoro smiled like a little school boy and handed Eustass the hunk of metal. Eustass chucked it into the hair, for it to be promptly sliced into many pieces by Zoro. It was impressive, to say the least.

"You're good with those things after all. I underestimated you." Eustass said, walking towards Zoro. "Take good care of him, got it?" He extended his hand, which Zoro took up promptly.

"Will do. I'm sure I'll be back soon enough and we can continue this," he smirked, which earned him a smile from Eustass.

"I look forward to it. Now get home. Oh! Sanji, before I forget, the bike!" Eustass ran into the expansive garage and came out rolling the most beautiful bike Sanji had ever seen. Eustass really knew his way around metal and machines. Sanji felt his jaw drop.

It was a custom Harley. It had a beautiful paint job that imitated the colors of the sea where he grew up. The chrome was polished to perfection. The seat had white leather, and plenty of storage areas. Sitting on the seat was a helmet that matched the paint job perfectly. It was perfect.

"I... I..." Sanji felt his eyes well up with tears. He ran over to Eustass and jumped on to him in a huge hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" Sanji felt arms wrap around him, and another set that he recognized as Law's.

"We knew you'd love it. You deserve it. You'll ride it back to your hotel, yeah?" Law said with a smile.

"Of course! If it's okay with Zoro?" Sanji looked over to the swordsman who couldn't help but smile at the tender moment.

"I know you're dying to ride it. I'll take the car," Zoro smiled at the cook whose eyes lit up.

Sanji ran over to the bike and put the helmet on. Perfect fit. He sat on the bike and started it up. The engine growled to life, sending shivers down Sanji's spine. It had been so long. He looked up to his two bond brothers. "Thank you guys, for everything. Really," he smiled. "We'll be back sometime soon. Just give us a call!" The two men nodded at him and waved. Sanji looked to Zoro, who couldn't help but smile at how happy his cook looked. "I'll meet you at the hotel, marimo!" And with that, he flicked his visor down and took off down the road, engine rumbling into the distance.

Zoro looked to the two men standing in the driveway, who indeed, looked like two proud older brothers. "Thank you, for making him so happy and looking after him. I promise that I will always do my best for him."

"We expect nothing less. Now get home, you don't want him to wait too long for you." Eustass smirked. "Besides, I heard you get lost easy, so you need all the time you can get."

Zoro pouted and got in the car. He waved to the two men whom he had just made friends with. Wonderful guys, Sanji really had some good friends. Odd, but they were good people. Zoro started the car and began his trek back to the hotel.

* * *

That was amazing. Eustass really knows what he's doing. That was probably the best ride of his life. Sanji parked his new bike in the garage and made his way to the room. He waved to Brook, who seemed to be training some new guy. Some kid with black hair and a scar under his eye, who was more interested in the bell that calls for service than his training.

Sanji made his way up the stairs and to the shared room. As Sanji opened the door, he shrugged his jacket off and kicked off his shoes. He was more tired than he thought. A shower would do him some good. He shed his clothes and made his way to the bathroom.

Zoro arrived shortly after, being lucky with his sense of direction for once. '_I also know where the liquor store is at all times_...' He thought to himself, looking across the street at the liquor store. He parked his car, waved to Brook and the new kid, and made his way up to the room, only turning around twice.

When he finally got into the door, he was greeted by a soggy blonde who had just got out of the shower. Zoro felt his throat go dry. After all the time he's spent with Sanji, he still wasn't used to how good the blonde looked after a shower.

"Oh, you're back!" Sanji gave a sweet smile. His face was still a little flushed from the hot water, his blonde hair wet and messy on his head, his toned torso still exposed and a pair of black sweatpants hanging dangerously low on his sharp hipbones. He looked smoking hot. "I'm glad, I thought it would take you longer."

"I-eh, oi I'm not totally helpless with direction. Uh..." Zoro couldn't find words.

Sanji knew Zoro got like this every time after he took a shower and came out dressed like that. It's what he intended to do to the swordsman, this time. He was doing it all on purpose and enjoying its effects on his befuddled marimo. He was in a fantastic mood right now. Sanji let out a slight moan while taking a towel to his hair.

Zoro felt a shiver down his spine. He wanted nothing more to force Sanji to make more of those noises. Involuntarily, he growled.

Sanji looked up with surprise. "My goodness, was that you or your stomach?"

"Take a guess," Zoro said, lowering his face but keeping his eyes locked with Sanji's, where he saw a playful glint in the blue orbs.

Seeing the lust-filled eyes of his partner, Sanji chuckled. He loved being a tease. And Zoro was too easy. But he _had_ made him wait so long for anything. Sanji was jerked out of his thoughts by an arm around his waist pulling him closer to a very wild looking swordsman.

Zoro wanted it bad. He wouldn't force anyone to do anything they didn't want to, but he still wanted it more than anything. He grabbed Sanji and pulled him in for a kiss. "Dumb cook," he growled. Zoro could feel himself overheating.

Zoro was burning hot to the touch. Sanji knew he had set the right combination of things off. "You have a fever? You're awfully hot," Sanji smirked through the kiss.

"Fever? ...you could say that." Zoro leered at Sanji. He really hoped Sanji wouldn't make him beg again. "Think you can cure me?"

"So cheesy," Sanji laughed and pulled away from a dejected looking Zoro. "But maybe I can."

That was the stupidest thing Zoro had ever heard himself say. The cook's bad romance skills were rubbing off on him. But Sanji said he might 'cure' him? "And how will you go about doing that, shit cook?"

Sanji sighed. This time not one of his erotic sighs. It was a serious sigh. "First things first. You need to know my past. I need to tell you about what happened to me." He sounded sad.

More sad than Zoro wanted to hear after such a wonderful day. "Listen, I don't want to force you to say anything you're not ready for."

"Well, it's the right time. And with Law and Eustass giving you their approval, I know I can trust you. You're the first person that they've acted that way with. I've never seen them like you as much as they've liked anyone else. Their thoughts mean the world to me, and I know I have their blessing." Sanji quietly went over and sat on the bed, only to be accompanied by Zoro.

"Hey... Only if you're sure." Zoro put an arm around Sanji. He could understand the weight of a painful past. He just wondered what kind of past it must have been for Sanji to act this way.

Sanji looked up Into Zoro's eyes. "I'm sure. I've never felt the way I do around you before. So, I want you to know everything. And if it's truly meant to be, you'll accept me still, even with my past."

* * *

Sanji slowly lifted one leg of his sweatpants, revealing the unusual, swirling scarring that covered his legs. Zoro had never seen anything like it before. That explains why Sanji always wore long pants. Come to think of it, Sanji always seemed to cover his legs up when Zoro was around. Even at the gym. In the shower, Zoro never looked at Sanji's bare legs. He never thought to look, why would he?

Zoro reached out and traced one of the scars. Sanji flinched, but quickly relaxed.

"Who did this to you?" Zoro asked with a darkness in his tone that frightened Sanji a bit.

"How do you know someone did this?" Sanji asked cautiously.

"I'm a swordsman, I know scars. These were made with a blunt blade, probably some shitty knife." Zoro practically growled and retracted his hand. "Why do you have these." It was more of a demand than a question.

Sanji let out a long sigh. "This is what happened when I thought that I would be accepted for who I am. My best friend did this to me back home when I tried to come out to him. He abused me for two years after I came out, and then did this."

"What kind of fucked up best friend does that?!" Zoro lost it. His voice cracked. His mouth went dry. "You tried to be yourself and that's what happened? What kind of fucked up world is this?!" Zoro's eyes were wide, Sanji could see a fire of hate and sadness burning within them.

"A world that I thought would be better off without me. The day after I received these, I tried to end it. Beautiful cliff face overlooking the Mediterranean. But I survived. Maybe that was life's way of telling me I wasn't done yet, I don't know." Sanji looked down at the floor. "I was raped, Zoro. For two years. The day I got these scars, was the last time. Law was the one who found me at the bottom of the cliff. He took me to the hospital that he was studying at in my hometown."

Sanji stood up. "I met Eustass then, too. Those two were only dating at the time, but were so horrified at my story that they took me in. They protected me every day since. We moved here a few years ago together. Besides my old man, they're all I have..." He lowered his face. "I'd understand if you want to leave. I'm damaged goods..."

He removed the sweatpants completely, standing only in his boxers. The scarring was unreal. It swirled and snaked up and down his legs like some sick, twisted vine. The scars were old, a slightly lighter shade than the rest of his skin. They told the saddest story of any scar that Zoro had ever seen. They were almost beautiful in a tragic way. Zoro stood up, keeping his face down at the floor.

"I'm glad you're here. You are needed in this life, Sanji. I need you..." Zoro looked up at Sanji with anger in his eyes. "I will never leave. It's absolutely horrible what you've gone through, and I can't even begin to imagine living through that. You are a strong man. Those scars tell a tragic story of a life no one should endure."

Sanji looked up to see Zoro's eyes glazed and a small, sad smile.

"You'll never be alone again, Sanji, because I will always be by your side." Zoro grabbed Sanji's hands and held them.

"Zoro..." Sanji felt himself start to choke up, at the sight of Zoro being so supportive, even if he was damaged. "I've never been so happy!"

Without another word, since neither of them knew what to say, they just embraced. They fell asleep in the embrace, peaceful and comforting.

* * *

**SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG OMG! But enjoy! ~heartpiratesanji**


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